Story highlights

Morsy acknowledges dissent and calls for a dialogue with 11 political parties Monday

An opposition leader issues demands before agreeing to a dialogue

Anti-government protesters defied Egyptian President Mohamed Morsy's curfew order in cities along the Suez Canal and clashed with police and troops in restive Port Said, state-run news outlets reported early Tuesday.

Egyptian troops beat back an attempt by a half-dozen armed gunmen to storm a prison in Port Said, where dozens of people were killed in clashes over the weekend, according to the news service EgyNews. Nine people were injured in earlier clashes at a police station, said Abdel Rahman Farah, a supervisor of Port Said Hospitals.

In the port city of Alexandria, west of Port Said, protesters sat on train tracks, disrupting rail travel at the Sidi Gaber station. There were also anti-government demonstrations in Cairo, and protesters took to the streets of Suez and clashed with security forces, state-run Nile TV reported.

Photos: Egypt unstable after days of protest 45 photos

Photos: Egypt unstable after days of protest45 photos

Egypt unstable after days of protest – An Egyptian protester throws a tear gas canister toward riot police during clashes outside the Egyptian presidential palace on Friday, February 1, in Cairo. Egypt has been embroiled in violence since last week, the two-year anniversary of an uprising that led to the ouster of then-President Hosni Mubarak.

Hide Caption

1 of 45

Photos: Egypt unstable after days of protest45 photos

Egypt unstable after days of protest – A protester holds a smoke flare outside the presidential palace on February 1.

Hide Caption

2 of 45

Photos: Egypt unstable after days of protest45 photos

Egypt unstable after days of protest – The entrance of Egypt's presidential palace in Cairo is in flames February 1, as protesters battle security forces.

Hide Caption

3 of 45

Photos: Egypt unstable after days of protest45 photos

Egypt unstable after days of protest – A protester faces off against riot police during clashes near Cairo's Tahrir Square on Wednesday, January 30.

Hide Caption

4 of 45

Photos: Egypt unstable after days of protest45 photos

Egypt unstable after days of protest – A police officer fires a tear gas canister during clashes with protesters near Tahrir Square on January 30.

Hide Caption

5 of 45

Photos: Egypt unstable after days of protest45 photos

Egypt unstable after days of protest – Police in plainclothes detain a youth suspected of being a member of the Black Bloc opposition group during a demonstration on January 30 in Cairo.

Hide Caption

6 of 45

Photos: Egypt unstable after days of protest45 photos

Egypt unstable after days of protest – A protester sprays water into the eyes of a man after his exposure to tear gas during clashes with police near Cairo's Tahrir Square on Tuesday, January 29.

Hide Caption

7 of 45

Photos: Egypt unstable after days of protest45 photos

Egypt unstable after days of protest – The lobby of Cairo's Semiramis InterContinental Hotel is full of debris on January 29 after protesters stormed the entrance.

Hide Caption

8 of 45

Photos: Egypt unstable after days of protest45 photos

Egypt unstable after days of protest – An Egyptian man takes part in a rally in Port Said on January 29. Protests in Port Said and nearby cities along the Suez Canal are symbolic because that region was among the first where the Mubarak regime lost control during the 2011 unrest, analysts say.

Hide Caption

9 of 45

Photos: Egypt unstable after days of protest45 photos

Egypt unstable after days of protest – Mourners carry the coffins of six people killed in clashes after the soccer riot ruling in Port Said on Monday, January 28. Rage exploded when a judge sentenced to death 21 residents of Port Said for roles in a deadly 2012 soccer riot.

Hide Caption

10 of 45

Photos: Egypt unstable after days of protest45 photos

Egypt unstable after days of protest – Egyptians walk past destroyed cars in Port Said on January 28 following the funeral of those killed in clashes.

Hide Caption

11 of 45

Photos: Egypt unstable after days of protest45 photos

Egypt unstable after days of protest – A riot police officer clashes with a protester near Cairo's Tahrir Square on January 28.

Hide Caption

12 of 45

Photos: Egypt unstable after days of protest45 photos

Egypt unstable after days of protest – A protester throws a tear gas canister toward riot police in Cairo's Tahrir Square on Sunday, January 27.

Hide Caption

13 of 45

Photos: Egypt unstable after days of protest45 photos

Egypt unstable after days of protest – Egyptian policemen and relatives on January 27 gather upon the arrival of the coffins of their colleagues killed in the violence one day earlier in Cairo.

Hide Caption

14 of 45

Photos: Egypt unstable after days of protest45 photos

Egypt unstable after days of protest – A protester throws a rock toward opposing demonstrators on January 27 in Cairo.

Hide Caption

15 of 45

Photos: Egypt unstable after days of protest45 photos

Egypt unstable after days of protest – Egyptian protesters throw stones toward riot police on January 27 in Tahrir Square.

Hide Caption

16 of 45

Photos: Egypt unstable after days of protest45 photos

Egypt unstable after days of protest – An Egyptian protester runs with a live tear gas canister toward Egyptian riot police on Saturday, January 26, in Cairo.

Hide Caption

17 of 45

Photos: Egypt unstable after days of protest45 photos

Egypt unstable after days of protest – Egyptian fans of Al-Ahly football club celebrate outside the club's headquarters in Cairo on January 26.

Hide Caption

18 of 45

Photos: Egypt unstable after days of protest45 photos

Egypt unstable after days of protest – Egyptian fans of Al-Ahly football club celebrate outside the club's headquarters in Cairo on January 26.

Hide Caption

19 of 45

Photos: Egypt unstable after days of protest45 photos

Egypt unstable after days of protest – Egyptian protesters stand by the burning door of a school building on January 26, in Cairo.

Hide Caption

20 of 45

Photos: Egypt unstable after days of protest45 photos

Egypt unstable after days of protest – An Egyptian protester carries an injured boy away from clashes with Egyptian riot police on January 26, in Cairo.

Hide Caption

21 of 45

Photos: Egypt unstable after days of protest45 photos

Egypt unstable after days of protest – Egyptians climb over a fence at the Al-Ahly home stadium on January 26 in Cairo.

Hide Caption

22 of 45

Photos: Egypt unstable after days of protest45 photos

Egypt unstable after days of protest – An Egyptian fan of Al-Ahly football club fires celebratory shots in the air and lights a flare as club supporters celebrate outside its headquarters in Cairo on January 26.

Hide Caption

23 of 45

Photos: Egypt unstable after days of protest45 photos

Egypt unstable after days of protest – A protester throws a rock at riot police on January 26, in Cairo.

Hide Caption

24 of 45

Photos: Egypt unstable after days of protest45 photos

Egypt unstable after days of protest – A fan of Al-Ahly football club lights a flare as club supporters celebrate on January 26 in Cairo.

Hide Caption

25 of 45

Photos: Egypt unstable after days of protest45 photos

Egypt unstable after days of protest – Al-Ahly football club supporters celebrate outside the club's headquarters in Cairo on January 26.

Hide Caption

26 of 45

Photos: Egypt unstable after days of protest45 photos

Egypt unstable after days of protest – Al-Ahly football club supporters celebrate on January 26.

Hide Caption

27 of 45

Photos: Egypt unstable after days of protest45 photos

Egypt unstable after days of protest – Smoke billows from a burning vehicle set on fire by Egyptian protesters outside the Port Said prison on January 26.

Hide Caption

28 of 45

Photos: Egypt unstable after days of protest45 photos

Egypt unstable after days of protest – Egyptians react after the sentencing in Port Said on January 26.

Hide Caption

29 of 45

Photos: Egypt unstable after days of protest45 photos

Egypt unstable after days of protest – An Al-Ahly soccer fan swings a live flare above his head on January 26 in Cairo.

Hide Caption

30 of 45

Photos: Egypt unstable after days of protest45 photos

Egypt unstable after days of protest – An Egyptian protester tries to carry an injured man away from clashes with riot police on January 26, in Cairo.

Hide Caption

31 of 45

Photos: Egypt unstable after days of protest45 photos

Egypt unstable after days of protest – Egyptian fans of Al-Ahly football club rally outside the club's headquarters in Cairo on January 26.

Hide Caption

32 of 45

Photos: Egypt unstable after days of protest45 photos

Egypt unstable after days of protest – An Egyptian protester runs away from a cloud of tear gas fired by Egyptian riot police on January 26, in Cairo.

Hide Caption

33 of 45

Photos: Egypt unstable after days of protest45 photos

Egypt unstable after days of protest – Relatives of victims killed during the 2012 Port Said soccer game react after the verdict of the court, at a courthouse in Cairo, on January 26.

Hide Caption

34 of 45

Photos: Egypt unstable after days of protest45 photos

Egypt unstable after days of protest – Relatives and friends of Egyptian protesters who were killed in Suez during clashes with riot police Friday, load a body onto an ambulance outside the morgue in Suez on January 26.

Hide Caption

35 of 45

Photos: Egypt unstable after days of protest45 photos

Egypt unstable after days of protest – A fan of Al-Ahly football club lights a flare as club supporters celebrate outside its headquarters in Cairo on January 26.

Hide Caption

36 of 45

Photos: Egypt unstable after days of protest45 photos

Egypt unstable after days of protest – Two protesters stand on top of a piece of furniture while riot police watch from a nearby rooftop in Cairo.

Hide Caption

37 of 45

Photos: Egypt unstable after days of protest45 photos

Egypt unstable after days of protest – A protester throws a rock at riot police in Cairo.

Hide Caption

38 of 45

Photos: Egypt unstable after days of protest45 photos

Egypt unstable after days of protest – An Egyptian protester walks through a cloud of tear gas fired by Egyptian riot police.

Hide Caption

39 of 45

Photos: Egypt unstable after days of protest45 photos

Egypt unstable after days of protest – An "Ahly-Ultra" soccer fan holds a smoke flare above his head in Cairo.

Hide Caption

40 of 45

Photos: Egypt unstable after days of protest45 photos

Egypt unstable after days of protest – A protester walks through a damaged school building.

Hide Caption

41 of 45

Photos: Egypt unstable after days of protest45 photos

Egypt unstable after days of protest – A protester removes the net from a basketball goal in a Cairo schoolyard.

Hide Caption

42 of 45

Photos: Egypt unstable after days of protest45 photos

Egypt unstable after days of protest – Protesters and football fans clash with riot police near Egypt's interior ministry.

Hide Caption

43 of 45

Photos: Egypt unstable after days of protest45 photos

Egypt unstable after days of protest – Protesters and fans of Al-Masry football club take part in a demonstration in front of the prison in Port Said.

Hide Caption

44 of 45

Photos: Egypt unstable after days of protest45 photos

Egypt unstable after days of protest – Egyptian protesters and fans of Al-Masry football club wave their club colors as they take part in a demonstration in front of the prison in the Egyptian Suez Canal city of Port Said on Friday, January 25, calling for the prisoners who are suspected of killing 74 fans of Al-Ahly club during a football match in February 2012 not to be transferred to Cairo to attend their trial. A judge sentenced 21 people to death for their roles in the riot last year.

Egypt's Morsy imposes curfew after riots

Just Watched

Egypt verdict causes deadly clashes

Morsy declared a limited state of emergency for hot spots Sunday and announced a 30-day nighttime curfew for the provinces of Port Said, Ismailia and Suez.

The Islamist-dominated Shura Council approved Morsy's declaration of the state of emergency in the three governorates. The legislative body also granted the armed forces judicial powers to "safeguard state institutions against saboteurs and restore security."

The embattled country's latest cycle of violence stemmed from two seemingly unrelated events.

On Friday, the second anniversary of the 2011 Egyptian revolution, protesters angry with the slow pace of change as well as anti-Morsy demonstrators fought with his supporters and police in cities such as Suez and Ismailia.

At least seven people were killed in those clashes, including several by gunfire. It was not immediately clear who was responsible.

Then on Saturday, a judge issued death sentences for 21 people from Port Said for their roles in a football game riot last year. Those sentences sparked deadly clashes between security forces and relatives of the convicted, some of whom tried to storm the prison in Port Said.

At least 38 people, including civilians and soldiers, have been killed there in the past two days.

In a speech Sunday night, Morsy decried the behavior of "criminals," saying recent violence "does not have anything to do with the Egyptian revolution. ... In fact, it is against the revolution."

But he acknowledged the legitimate dissent in Egypt, saying "dialogue is the only way to bring about stability and security."

To this end, he invited representatives from 11 political parties to a meeting Monday.

Thousands flood Tahrir Square in protest

Just Watched

Protests in Egypt on anniversary

But a key opposition leader issued conditions before accepting Morsy's call for dialogue.

"Without accepting his responsibility as a president for the latest bloody events, promising to form a government of national salvation and commissioning a balanced committee to amend the constitution, any dialogue will be a waste of time," said Mohamed ElBaradei, head of the Constitution Party and a member of the opposition National Salvation Front.

On Sunday, the National Salvation Front called for "peaceful protests" and held the president responsible "for the excessive violence used by security forces against protesters," according to a statement posted on the state-run Al-Ahram news website.

The group made several demands before it would urge people to stop protesting, including the formation of a new government and making changes to what it called the "distorted constitution" that voters passed, in a referendum, last month.

Morsy's supporters warned the opposition against such demands Monday.

"We would like for the political forces, especially the National Salvation Front, to realize how important this defining moment is and to put the interest of the nation above all," said Gamal Tag, senior leader of the Freedom and Justice Party, the political wing of the Muslim Brotherhood.

"They need to know that President Morsy's call for dialogue is not out of weakness, but it is out of his responsibility as president. ... Some forces are still putting conditions and obstacles before this national dialogue in order to make it fail. These people do not put forward the national interest. They are looking for personal gains."

The latest strife comes as Egyptians mark the second anniversary of one of the most violent and significant days in the Egyptian revolution.

January 28, 2011, was dubbed the "Friday of Rage" because thousands of peaceful protesters seeking an end to President Hosni Mubarak's three-decade rule in Cairo were met with excessive force.

It was also the day that Mubarak cut off Internet and cell phone service as many Egyptians decided to join the revolution seeking his ouster.

Some liberal factions are calling Monday the "Monday of Rage," and groups such as the National Salvation Front plan to demonstrate near Cairo's Tahrir Square in memory of those killed two years ago.